Sunday, July 2

Tiger 131 from World of Tanks leads Italeri's interesting looking lot of August kits in our preview...

Italeri has some more interesting kits in different genres and scales with a special bonus to those who play "World of Tanks" as well as some good looking models - Check out all of their new August kits in our preview, with boxart, colours and sprues for each of these...

For a tank that has grown such an amazing reputation, very few real Tigers remain. Only six reasonably complete vehicles still exist and of these Tiger 131 is undoubtedly the most famous.

Serial number 250122 came off the Henschel production line in February 1943 and was issued to the 504 Heavy Tank Battalion. In early March it was shipped from Sicily to Tunis as part of Hitler’s belated reinforcement of his North African Army. The tank was captured at the end of April and as the first complete Tiger to be seized in the West, it was filmed and photographed and later brought to Britain for extensive analysis.

Why Tiger 131? The tank was issued to the commander of Number 3 Platoon. The number signifies the company, the platoon and the place of the tank within that platoon, hence 131.

In 1951 Tiger 131 was passed to the Tank Museum where it has been a popular exhibit ever since. It’s return to working order in the early 2000’s meant it became the only running Tiger 1 and this, in the age of the internet, has led to millions of viewings online of the tank running at events. Its involvement in the Fury movie of 2014 and its appearance in the World of Tanks game has only added to its exposure – making it now probably the most famous tank in the world

The AH-64 Apache can be considered the most famous attack helicopter in history. It was designed to operate on the front line and to perform anti-tank, anti-helicopter, assault and close support missions in “all weather” conditions and in any operating environments. The AH-64D Longbow is the upgraded version with and increased offensive capability and the adoption of advanced target acquisition systems.

The “Longbow” is characterized by the AN/APG-78 radar, housed in the radome located above the main rotor. It raised position enables target detection and use of missiles, as the anti-tank Hellfire, while the helicopter is hidden behind hills, trees or buildings and out of enemy sight. The main armament is the 30 mm M230 Chain Gun installed under the cabin. The AH-64D is able to load, in its four pylons on the stub wings, a significant variety of offensive weapons as rockets and missiles.

The Ford Escort Mk 2 was launched in 1975. It was a significant evolution compared to the Escort Mk 1 that debuted at Brussels Motor Show in January 1968. It used the reliable mechanical components as the Mk 1 but adopted a new design based on a squared off stylised look able to be in line with the aesthetic and stylistic taste of the 70s. The product range was wide, declined in three body styles (2 doors, 4 doors and 3 doors station wagon), five type of engines and a significant variety of settings and configurations. The Escort Mk 2 was mainly produced in the Ford Group German plants and achieved a good commercial success.

In addition to the more classic version, it was also released the Escort Sport version characterized by a more aggressive look and distinctive sports interiors. To compete, successfully, in World Rally Championship, a dedicated model, the RS 1800, was introduced to complete the lineup. Successful results have been achieved. The team Waldegård Björn - Thorszelius Hans, that got the second place in the World-famous Monte Carlo Rally in 1979, won the World Rally Championship at the end of the year. The Motorsport team also achieved excellent results with the other team, ranked fifth in the Monaco 1979 race event, formed by Mikkola Hannu and Hertz Arnee.

At the beginning, Sd.Kfz 2 “Kettenkrad”, was developed as light means of transport for airborne troops. It was a small vehicle with the front similar to a motorcycle, characterised by its handlebars and its central wheel and by a rear designed to feature 6 wheel tracked structure. The Kettenkrad could transport 2 passengers, additionally to the driver, or transport goods and ammunitions.

Decals for 3 versions in German service in WWII

It could reach a top speed of 70 km/h thanks to its OHV inline-four Opel water-cooling engine, the same featured on Opel Olympia car. Through its tow hook, it was able to drag up to 450 kg of goods as antitank cannons of moderate size. The Kettenkrad resulted in being perfect in carrying loads and people on uneven grounds, as those sSandy in North Africa or muddy ones of the Russian Steppe. Later, since 1944 onwards, it was used on runways for the handling of jet fighters Messerschmitt Me 262 and jet bombers Arado A-234.

The A-6 Intruder entered service in the mid-60s as ground attack carrier based aircraft to replace the outdated planes as the propeller-driven A-1 Skyraider and the A-3 Skywarrior. The Grumman Corporation-developed and designed the A-6A, based on U.S. Navy specifications, a twin jet-engine all-weather medium attack aircraft able to operate from the American aircraft carriers. The so-called “Intruder” was characterized by a sturdy and robust fuselage and for the two seat side by side cabin configuration for the pilot and the weapons officer.

Decals for 2 versions, One during the Gulf War Conflict "Desert Storm" in 1992 and the other from 1976.

The A-6E was the definitive attack version of the "Intruder" improved in avionics and attack systems, in particular in the version named TRAM, from the acronym of the laser target designation system, that allowed to be more effective to perform “all weather” missions and to be more lethal in detection and suppression of enemy targets. Thanks to its hardpoints under the wing the A-6E Intruder was able to load an impressive offensive armament as conventional bombs, Paveway laser-guided bombs, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, HARM anti-radar missiles. It actively participated either from ground bases or from the carriers of the U.S. Navy, to Desert Storm campaign combat missions.

Based on the excellent and reliable 3300 “Turbo Intercooling”, the Dutch truck manufacturer DAF released on 1985 the Space Cab version. This truck has been characterized by a new aerodynamic shape with extra-ordinary comfort features. The cabin design was, in particular, able to match the long-range heavy transportation needs between European Countries.

The Space Cab was equipped with an 11,6-liter engine able to provide 373 HP and able to guarantee a good performance and low fuel consumption.

You can get more info on these kits or find a distributor near you at the Italeri Website